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Office Coordinator

​What does an office coordinator do? (Including skills)

Offices remain a core part of any organisation. Aside from being a place for employees to work and collaborate, offices are also locations for holding client or customer meetings and team discussions. It's important that an office runs efficiently to maximise the productivity of the employees based there and demonstrate the best representation of a company's values and brand. In this article, we answer the question, 'What does an office coordinator do?' by exploring how an office coordinator helps maintain a business's office space, with details of their key skills.

What does an office coordinator do?

To answer 'What does an office coordinator do?', an office coordinator, sometimes called an office manager or office administrator, is the individual responsible for keeping the office running efficiently. This role allows the wider business to focus on their individual tasks and ensures that each department or team has the resources to operate effectively. Office coordinators work in businesses across every industry, includingmarketing, healthcare, technical services, construction and education. The office coordinator's role is to support everyone, from entry-level employees to senior management, and maintain the office space itself.Fundamentally, the office coordinator is responsible for the running of the office on a day-to-day basis, including the staff within it and the physical building or floor itself. This role often deals with the business's administrative side, including dealing with third-party partners and internal employees. The office coordinator may also help create and distribute internal communications alongside apublic relationsor communications professional. Finally, office coordinators manage the maintenance of the office itself, including its equipment, appliances and utilities. The primary duties of an office coordinator are:

Developing and upholding office procedures

A primary task for many office coordinators is the development and subsequent maintenance of efficient office procedures. This often includes the proper filing of documents, identifying outstanding expenses that need paying and dealing with third party suppliers for inventory purposes. An office coordinator upholds these processes, ensuring they're conveyed to the wider organisation while also ensuring employees properly follow them. This typically requiresskillsaround filing techniques or the use of digital software to manage databases or more extensive file folders.Related:Coordinator CV example (With tips)

Managing schedules

Office coordinators typically manage the scheduling for conference rooms or meeting rooms within the office space. Depending on the organisation, an office coordinator may also schedule the time of senior management staff who don't have an assistant. If the business typically has multiple client meetings or team discussions per day, it's important that the room is free for allocated periods and no clashes occur, as this reflects poorly on the business if it's a meeting with an external party. This requires clear scheduling skills conveyed to the wider organisation.Related:Administrative coordinator responsibilities and key skills

Monitoring inventory

A core duty for an office coordinator is the management and monitoring of office inventory. Depending on the organisation, these may be smaller items such as stationery and printed materials or more expensive items such as computer hardware, printers and other large-scale goods. It's important for the office coordinator to understand the needs and roles of each department or team so that they understand what equipment may be necessary. Office coordinators typically submit any purchase requests to senior management for approval before overseeing their purchase, delivery and installation.

Supporting internal communications

Often working alongside a public relations or communications professional, an office coordinator may assist with any business-wide communications. In practical terms, they help prepare and distribute this correspondence to employees across the organisation, often in either analogue or digital formats. This part of the role requires exceptional organisational skills and knowledge of digital software such as email builders, if relevant.Related:How to write a coordinator cover letter (With examples)

Coordinating events or travel

If an organisation runs regular social events or has employees who are required to travel for their job, the office coordinator typically oversees both. In terms of social events, the office coordinator plans the venue, time and cost and distributes the invites to the guest list, maintaining a list of who can make the event and who cannot. For travelling employees, an office coordinator supports them in booking flights, train tickets and accommodation and assists with any related expenses dealt with by the accounts or finance team.

Greeting visitors

In some organisations, the office coordinator may greet visitors to the office and those calling the business. In either case, it's the job of the office coordinator to present a welcoming atmosphere and direct any queries to the relevant employee. It's beneficial if the coordinator is polite, positive and helpful, as they're representing the business to an external party.

Why is an office coordinator important?

In any office environment, it's important that employees can focus on their tasks without the distraction of ordering new equipment, performing administrative tasks or dealing with customer queries. By having an office coordinator in place to support these tasks, an organisation increases its productivity. A successful office coordinator understands the importance of having the right inventory and streamlines theworkflowfor different teams, ensuring they have the right resources to complete their tasks. Office coordinators ensure the business has a positive reputation with external parties, using effective scheduling and organisation to create an efficient image.